


Flirting Always Helps // Keith x Lance

by 90slevi



Series: Other One-Shots :) [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bottom Lance (Voltron), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Fluff, M/M, Mentioned Allura (Voltron), Mentioned Hunk (Voltron), Mentioned Pidge | Katie Holt, Mentioned Shiro (Voltron), Soft Keith/Lance (Voltron), Surprise Kissing, Top Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:34:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25578139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/90slevi/pseuds/90slevi
Summary: "Did the sun just come out, or was that a smile I saw?" - L"Oh my god, stop. I'm this close to kicking you out my room." - K**After a frustrating day of searching for Shiro again, Keith comes back angry and upset, only to find Lance. He attempts to get away in fear of unleashing his anger on Lance, but all the younger wants to do is help his fellow Paladin. However, all he thinks he can do to try and cheer Keith up is flirt...**Set between Season Two and Three :)
Relationships: Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Other One-Shots :) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853773
Comments: 7
Kudos: 143





	Flirting Always Helps // Keith x Lance

It'd been two days since Shiro's disappearance, and although it was badly affecting the Paladins of Voltron, Coran AND Allura, it was affecting nobody more than it was Keith. He loved Shiro like his own brother, and of course, they'd grown up together. Yet, even though it was obviously taking a toll on him, it seemed like nobody cared. They wanted to continue Voltron without Shiro, who was obviously the better leader and who'd been there for not only Keith but the other three Paladins since the beginning. To Keith, it was unfair for him to just be forgotten and left for dead if he had been kidnapped or transported somewhere without their knowledge. Deep down, the black-haired male knew the fate of the universe was much more important than just one human being, but his selfish desires were blocking him from focussing on what their mission was.

Sighing in frustration after another solo trip around God-knows-where in the Red Lion, Keith clambered out once finally parked up in the castle and just wanted to scream in frustration. He knew Shiro was strong enough to get himself out of a tough situation - after all, he did manage to get out of the Galra's grasp by himself, which should've been an impossible feat - but he felt guilty that he couldn't help more. Shiro had been there for him whenever he needed it, so why couldn't he be there for him? And, even worse, Keith knew he wasn't fit to be a leader. He wasn't a people-person at all, and would Hunk, Pidge and Lance even listen to him when he gave out orders? What if he messed up so bad that he lost one of the Paladins or Allura or Coran? He'd already lost Shiro, he couldn't lose someone else. 

Bidding the Red Lion a farewell as he left the station, he pulled off his helmet and spacesuit before running a hand through his hair, his nose wrinkled as he tried to figure out where the hell his older brother could be. Keith had scanned almost the entire galaxy by now, even confiding in Pidge's technology and using it for a more advanced search. 

Climbing the stairs, he noticed that he'd probably missed dinner. He didn't care though; he'd probably pick something up later on when Hunk wasn't using the kitchen or when someone wouldn't see him. He didn't want to talk to anybody or even see them, and he certainly didn't want some sort of pep talk about how they had to move on or how they were sure to find Shiro on the way. Keith just wanted to go to his room and sleep. 

"Hey, Keith!"

Cursing quietly to himself, the older male turned around to see the familiar face of Lance, someone he didn't want to see. After all, if anyone was going to make his mood 100x worse, it would be one of Lance's dumb jokes or something that'd spiral into an argument 10 seconds into the conversation. Rolling his eyes, Keith turned back around and ignored the taller boy, speeding up his pace and shoving his hands into his pockets so he could get to his room quicker. 

"Keith, don't ignore me!" Lance called, a mix of hurt and annoyance in his tone which Keith recognised fully. If he just stayed quiet, maybe Lance would leave him alone and he wouldn't burst into a fit of rage and completely destroy the 'friendship' he had with the other. 

Deep down, Keith really liked Lance. He hadn't fully come to terms with that yet, but he did enjoy Lance's company when they weren't arguing and liked that they could poke fun at each other without meaning any harm. He also liked that Lance always came to his aid when he needed it the most, even if he didn't realise he was doing it. They also had great teamwork and would protect the other if necessary, and Keith couldn't help but like Lance the most out of everyone else on board (aside from Shiro). 

This time, though, he didn't want Lance's words of comfort or annoying face anywhere near him.

"Dude! What's your problem?" Lance exclaimed, and Keith looked over his shoulder with a glare that froze the taller to the spot. Lance had never been afraid of Keith and he'd always loved making fun of him for the cold persona he tried desperately to keep up, but this time, he hesitated. He was properly afraid of Keith at that moment and he finally realised that Shiro's loss was weighing him down much more than everyone had realised. Lance, now genuinely worried about Keith's well-being, tried to come up with some sort of plan to make him feel better, but once he heard the bedroom doors slam shut, he knew he'd have to be quick. He may class Keith as a rival, but he didn't want him to be like this. He cared about him, after all.

Keith, on the other hand, instantly kicked off his boots (which hit the wall with a thump) and flopped down onto his bed, running both his hands through his hair and massaging his head and scalp. Being a part of Voltron was so much more difficult than he'd anticipated, and he hadn't expected to lose someone so soon. He wasn't prepared for this bit and he wasn't sure how to react. All he could do was throw something, which he did. He threw his sword angrily against the wall, but due to the material the castle was made of, it simply bounced off and made a small scratch. 

Unfortunately for him, in his fit of defeat, he'd forgotten to lock the door, allowing it to be opened by anybody. And that anybody ended up being Lance a couple of minutes later.

"What do you want?" Keith snapped, his eyes switching from the ceiling to Lance's nervous expression in a split second. "If it's not worth my time, get out."

"I'm sorry, I just assumed you hadn't eaten so I bought you some of... this," Lance muttered, placing a plate of food goo that was still warm on top of the table beside Keith's bed. "I also wanted to apologise for... probably annoying you a minute ago."

Sitting up, Keith stared at the food for a second before shaking his head. "I'm not hungry."

"That's okay, eat it when you can," Lance said, pouting a little as he tried to quickly think up something else to say. He was hoping Keith would be a little less hostile than he was so the conversation could be easier, but nope. "So... how was your trip?"

"Awful," Keith muttered, softening up a little bit as he looked down at the ground. He had no idea what it was about Lance, but whenever he was kind to him, he couldn't seem to hold on to that angry persona anymore. He felt like he could be his genuine self around him, and at the time, he felt upset more than anything. He masked that emotion with anger, which just hurt the people he was around. And he didn't want to hurt Lance. "I couldn't find any sign of Shiro anywhere and I almost got caught in a meteor shower. Then, in anger, I almost flew too close to a star and nearly burnt myself and the red lion alive. It was a stupid mistake to make, and it just made my whole mood worse. I also lost control of the stupid lion and crashed into an asteroid and banged my head and-"

"Okay, I get it, it sucked," Lance interrupted, noticing that Keith was getting pretty heated and bitter again. Keith took a deep breath and nodded, putting his face in his hands. The other then sat down beside him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, watching Keith flinch slightly but not do anything to get rid of him. Lance took this as a good thing and noted mentally that they were much closer than he assumed and he could do things like this to comfort him. "But we can always look again tomorrow, right?"

"What do you mean 'we'?" Keith asked with a frown, glancing up at him with an eyebrow. "What, you're coming with me?"

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Lance muttered, and Keith let out a small exhale of amusement. "But yes, if it makes you feel better, I can help you try and find Shiro."

"Thanks, I guess," the older said, scratching behind his ear awkwardly. "I'll be going onto the other side of the galaxy tomorrow, though."

"God, how far have you ventured already?" Lance asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Shouldn't you relax? You spent all day out there."

"I can't relax," he answered, shaking his head. "It's impossible to sleep or stay put when I know Shiro could be lost in space right now. I can't even have fun or go on missions without thinking about him and how much danger he might be in."

"You never have fun anyway," Lance commented off-handedly before being smacked in the thigh. "Hey!"

"Asshole," Keith murmured, slightly hurt but trying to ignore that. Lance mentally face-palmed and cursed at himself for not being able to resist, even in such a serious and emotional moment. 

"Sorry," Lance quickly apologised, fidgeting with his thumbs. "I don't know why I said that."

"It's fine," Keith sighed bluntly, looking down at his food goo and using the fork to play around with it. It'd never tasted the best and he preferred the variety of foods back on Earth more than this, but it was better than nothing. "I take things too seriously."

"And I don't take things seriously enough," Lance chuckled, tucking his knees up to his chest and turning himself into a ball. "They say opposites attract though, right?"

Keith froze slightly and turned to face the younger, who was just playing with the strings of his hoodie as he stared at the ground. Was he... flirting with him? And if so, what should _Keith_ say in response? 

"True," Keith muttered, hoping to dear God Lance wasn't suddenly flirting with him. Mainly because he wasn't in the mood and second of all, he had no idea how to react or what to say! He'd never really flirted with anyone before in his life and wasn't exactly used to being somewhat romantic with someone. What if he was reading too much into it, and Lance wasn't even flirting at all and was just saying it in a platonic/rivalry way? 

However, Lance looked up at Keith and, with a small grin on his face, noticed the light pink shade in the usually-pale boy's face. He'd known for a while that Keith probably wasn't the romantic type or someone who'd flirt back-and-forth, but maybe this was the best time to do it. He was upset, and Lance knew from personal experience that flirting always cheered himself up. Hopefully... maybe it'd help Keith too?

"But if we do end up going together tomorrow, just don't get too far away. Someone like you is impossible to find," Lance said, and Keith visibly cringed - although, his expression softened and a very, very small smile appeared on his lips. A cocky grin appeared on Lance's face before he spurted out another. "Did the sun just come out, or was that a smile I saw?"

"Oh my god, stop," Keith grumbled, covering his face with a hand as he tried his best not to get second-hand embarrassment from Lance's terrible attempts at flirting. He'd never thought that one day, he'd be on the receiving end of this. "I'm this close to kicking you out my room."

"Keith, have you been to a doctor's lately?" Lance asked, raising an eyebrow. Keith, now confused, shook his head, but regretted it once the brown-haired boy continued with, "Well that's obvious because you're lacking Vitamin Me."

"Get out," Keith said, rolling his eyes but unable to hide the very obvious colour in his face. "Before I punch you square in the jaw."

"You look like you're enjoying it though," Lance said with a wiggle of his eyebrows, pointing at Keith's embarrassed expression. "I think you want me to continue."

"I absolutely do not," he replied with a scoff, shaking his head as he 'punched' Lance in the arm. "Stop it."

"I won't stop until you return the comments," Lance teased, glad he was changing Keith's mood and getting him to cheer up, even if that meant embarrassing the hell out of him. Which Lance was brilliant at. "Are you a camera?"

"Lance, I'm this close to picking you up and throwing you out of that door," Keith warned, his thumb and index finger about 1cm away from each other. "Don't tempt me anymore."

"Okay, okay, let me finish this one because it's really good," Lance said, and before Keith could protest, Lance finished it off. "Are you a camera? Because every time I look at you, I smile."

"Right, that's it," Keith sighed, standing up and pulling open the door. To Lance's surprise, he didn't look angry. In fact, he had a small smile on his face that he was trying desperately to hide but failing. However, he got up anyway and stood by the door. "Out."

"Awh, you're no fun," Lance pouted, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Can't I give one more?"

"You said that last time!" Keith exclaimed, his eyebrows raised. "And no, you can't."

"Fine," he sighed, shaking his head. "Well, enjoy your food and I guess I'll see you around."

However, before he could even take one step, Keith took his wrist and held him in place, which took the younger by surprise. He cocked his head but was surprised to see the black-haired male staring at him straight in the eyes with something he'd never really... seen before. Especially in Keith, and he wondered what would happen next.

"Can I borrow a kiss? I promise I'll give it back," he said, and Lance's eyes widened in surprise at Keith's sudden boldness. 

"I-" Lance began, going bright red in the face as he stumbled on not only his words but his thoughts too. He'd never actually expected Keith to respond in the way he did, and although Lance knew deep down that he really did like the older, he hadn't expected him to respond in such a way. And with such a bold line, too. How would he reply?! If he said 'yes', would Keith kiss him? Or would he laugh at him? God, it would get awkward if he stayed quiet any longer... what would he say?! "I don't know..."

_Lance, that was such a weak answer, damn it._

"So someone's not as confident as he seems then," Keith said, raising an eyebrow and knowing Lance wouldn't actually live up to his flirtatious comments. Was he just saying them to cheer him up and he simply meant nothing from them? Of course he was, Lance flirted with everyone. Why would he be any different, and why did it lowkey hurt? "I'll see you tomorrow then."

However, Lance did something neither of them expected.

He grabbed Keith by the collars of his red jacket, pulled him close and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before pulling away, his cheeks pink and eyes wide from what he'd just done. Keith had the same reaction, his lips slightly parted in surprise from the sudden action. However, to Lance's surprise, the other wasn't disgusted or angry with him. Instead, Keith, as he stated before, returned the kiss, which lasted a little longer than Lance's attempt and which included a gentle hand through the taller's hair. 

Once they pulled away, both were surprised at what they'd done and went incredibly red in the face. Keith looked at the ground and, with a grimace, scratched the back of his head. Lance, on the other hand, put his hands into his pockets and with a small voice, muttered, "Well, that was more than I expected."

"You still wanna go out tomorrow night?" Keith murmured, and Lance nodded. "Great... well, see ya tomorrow I guess."

"Yeah, bye," Lance chuckled, and once the door was closed, he almost slammed his head against the wall in embarrassment. "Good lord, well done, Lance. You just looked like an idiot."

Keith, on the other hand, flopped down onto his bed, unsure why he'd even mentioned the kissing comment in the first place. He didn't regret what he'd done; in fact, he was glad Lance liked him like that because he hadn't realised that he felt the same way. A grin appeared on his face as he stabbed the fork into the goo and put some into his mouth, wondering how interactions between him and Lance would be the next day. 

*

*

*

{Bonus}

As Lance was wandering down the corridor, the thoughts of Keith's lips still on his as he tried to think of anything else, he hadn't noticed Coran walking towards him until the pair bumped into each other. Lance, surprised by the contact, got into one of those goofy fighting stances he was so used to doing whenever he felt even slightly threatened.

"Ah, sorry Lance!" Coran chuckled, shaking his head at the brown-haired boy's position. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah! I'm fine," he answered, straightening back up and not realising how flustered he'd gotten from the previous encounter. "What are you up to?"

"Well, I was off to make sure Keith was back from his mission, but it seems like you've done that already," Coran said, and Lance nodded. "We do have cameras, you know. Next time, keep the doors shut."

Slightly confused with what Coran said, the blue Paladin nodded and simply continued down the hallway. It wasn't until he turned a corner that he realised.

He and Keith had been caught on a security camera. And Coran had seen everything.


End file.
